Ethics and Form in Fantasy Literature: Tolkien, Rowling and Meyer

Fantasy in its different subgeneric incarnations has long dominated best-seller
lists. While some scholars dismiss the phenomenon as another fad, others believe
that it demands close scrutiny precisely because of its immense popularity. Among
the latter is Lykke Guanio-Uluru, whose monograph entitled Ethics and Form in
Fantasy Literature examines three of the most successful fantasy series:
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (henceforth, LOTR), J.K. Rowling’s Harry
Potter (HP) and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight (TW).

Partly based on the author’s doctoral dissertation, this detailed and well-researched
monograph combines rhetorical analysis and ethical theory in an attempt to examine
"the ethical 'patterns of meaning' embedded in best-selling literature" (1). Its
primary goal is, thus, to explore links between ethics and aesthetics (form),
ethical arguments and structures of valuing in the three select series (both
individually and in relation to each other), especially the ways in which they
portray good and evil, and characters’ ethical deliberations. The discussion is
divided into six chapters, organized into two parts and followed by a bibliography
and index.

The introductory chapter presents the theoretical and methodological underpinnings
of the research as well as the novels selected for close scrutiny. It also provides
definitions of relevant narratological concepts utilized in the analyses (narrator,
implied author, etc.) and a brief overview of the fantasy genre, with special
emphasis on its current popularity. Based on the close readings of the novels,
discussions of each series develop along three axes: analysing individual narrative
universes with the aim of identifying ethical issues (informed by James Phelan’s
rhetorical theory of narrative), linking these individual universes into a wider,
contemporary ethical context (informed by philosophical ethical theory), and
addressing specific ethical issues (e.g., relationship between good and evil).

The three chapters that constitute the first part of the book deal with two quest
fantasy series: LOTR and HP. In chapter two, the central conflict between good and
evil in LOTR is viewed against the backdrop of Old Norse mythology (which sees evil
as primary and powerful) and Judeo-Christian beliefs (in which good is primary,
while evil is powerless). Special attention is given to the images of trees (relationship
to trees and nature in general is an important means of characterization), as well
as the character of Tom Bombadil, who is seen as the embodiment of many of the
values promoted by the text (self-mastery, pacifism, respect for nature, etc.).
In chapter three, the author turns to J.K. Rowling’s seven novel series about the
wizarding world. Given the controversy stirred by the series’ alleged occultist,
anti-Christian undercurrent, the discussion is situated within the study of religion
in popular culture. The author brings into question the seemingly clear-cut distinction
between good and evil, the problematization of which, she claims, is most notable
in the interconnectedness between the hero and villain, the character of Severus
Snape and the discrepancy between Dumbledore’s words and actions, which ultimately
leads to the deconstruction of his normative authority. The series, Guanio-Uluru
concludes, "displays a 'hybrid-ethic'" (87) created through the blending of New
Testament ethics and secular philosophy.

Concluding this section of the book, chapter four brings together the analyses
and observations presented in the previous two chapters in an attempt to draw conclusions
about ethics and form in the genre of quest fantasy. Much of the comparisons revolve
around implied narrators, prophecies and the guiding figures of wise men (Gandalf
and Dumbledore). While the two series differ significantly in terms of their
representations of good and evil – established through links with nature (LOTR)
or interpersonal relationships (HP) – the dominant symbol or archetype in each
of them (a tree in LOTR and a shape-shifter in HP) proves to have a crucial role
in shaping their individual forms.

In the second part of the book, the discussion turns to the genre of paranormal
romance, which is examined through the example of Stephanie Meyer’s TW saga. Chapter
five opens with an overview of the said genre, as well as fan and academic responses
(focused largely on representations of gender and race) to Meyer’s series. While
acknowledging some of the problems typically identified by critics, especially
the way romantic inevitability undermines the importance and validity of the
heroine’s choices, Guanio-Uluru identifies a certain degree of ironic distance in
the text, as well as instances of narrative discouraging of readers’ identification
with Bella. The shift of narrative voice from the heroine to one of the male characters,
the author argues, "allows for a questioning of Bella’s values" (193), thus opening
the text up to various interpretations. Reading the novels side by side with their
intertextual companions such as Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire
(1976), Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet, Guanio-Uluru proposes that Bella’s transformation into
a vampire can be read as a gender change. The sixth and final chapter brings together
all the novels, reading them side by side. In each of these "gendered coming-of-age
stories" (2) the central archetype is seen as playing a crucial part in synthesizing
"ethical concern with narrative form" (219). The author concludes that each novel
provides a markedly different ethical vision; thus, they show that despite the
presumed formulaic nature of genre texts, the relationship between ethics and
aesthetics in them is by no means formulaic or predictable.

There is much to recommend this highly engaging and stimulating book. The author
navigates the extensive corpus of primary texts as well as the copious secondary
sources in a seemingly effortless manner. The meticulous analyses encompass not
only the novels and their plots, but also paratextual elements such as the design
of the book cover (in the case of HP, different for adult and child/young readers),
front matter, etc. Guanio-Uluru’s thorough knowledge of the field lends an additional
note of persuasiveness to her already convincing line of argumentation. Providing
a wealth of truly close readings – those that focus on individual words and
sentences – and illuminating conclusions, Ethics and Form in Fantasy Literature
presents a most valuable contribution to the study of literature in general and
fantasy in particular.

Nada Kujundžić
University of Turku, Finland
University of Zagreb, Croatia